Could Be the Reason: (Gabe and Sadie) (A Back to Jetty Beach Romance Book 3)

by Claire Kingsley

  Where do I even begin?

  I introduced Gabriel Parker way back in Must Be Fate (Cody and Clover’s story). He meets Clover, samples her cooking, and ultimately offers her a job. We see him again in Must Be Home (Hunter and Emma’s story). He’s Emma’s older brother, and offers her a place to stay while she gets back on her feet.

  I’d always intended for Gabe to be a hero in a Jetty Beach romance. How could I not give this guy his HEA? In fact, I started a book about him right after I finished Must Be Home. Let me just say, it’s better that I stopped. The story wasn’t right, and I knew it. Gabe needed something special, and that wasn’t it.

  When I started planning the spin-off Back to Jetty Beach series, my intent was to begin with Gabe. After all, Jetty Beach fans already knew him. You’d been bugging me to write his story for a while. It made sense to begin with him and segue into the other two heroes in the series.

  But Finn had other plans, and let’s be honest, how could I deny Finn anything?

  So it took me a little longer to get to Gabe than originally anticipated, so I knew he would need to be worth the wait.

  When we begin the book, Gabe has become the odd guy out. He knows everyone in Jetty Beach; in one way or another, he’s connected to all the previous couples. So he’s been through all the weddings, watched his friends and loved ones have babies, and he’s the last remaining single guy of the bunch. And he’s not particularly happy about that. He’s not man whoring his way around town, living up his post-shitty-marriage existence. He’s pouring himself into his work, and his personal life leaves a lot to be desired.

  Sadie begins in a very different place. She’s suffered a devastating sexual assault at the hands of someone close to her family—her brother’s childhood best friend. She chose to cut ties with her family and move where she hopes her abuser won’t find her.

  She is struggling with the effects of the trauma, and working very hard to begin a new life. But moving on from such a devastating experience isn’t easy.

  But who better to gently help her through that than Gabriel Parker.

  I joked to a friend once or twice that Gabe is a literal angel—and I didn’t even make the connection to his name at first. He’s patient, loving, gentle, and protective of the woman he loves. Once he understands the full truth of what Sadie went through, he’s willing to do anything for her. Anything to make her happy and whole again.

  If you’ve been reading the Jetty Beach books, or any CK novels, you know I have a soft spot for good men. I don’t try to make my characters perfect (that would be boring), so they are flawed. But we’re all flawed, and even an imperfect person can be a good one. And Gabe is a good man, through and through.

  I admired Sadie’s strength in making hard choices. She was intensely vulnerable, especially in some of her more poignant moments with Gabe, but through it all, she was a survivor. Through Sadie, it was my intention to treat the issue of sexual assault with respect. The choices I made with regard to her character, her reactions and responses, and the way her physical relationship with Gabe unfolded, were designed to acknowledge the reality of what a sexual assault victim must live through—because the trauma doesn’t end when the assault is over.

  I hope you enjoyed Gabe and Sadie’s story. It’s been an absolute pleasure to write these Jetty Beach romances. It’s possible this is the last. But I don’t like to talk in absolutes. You never know what the future holds.

  Thanks for reading,

  CK

  Acknowledgments

  I’m blessed beyond measure to have so many wonderful people supporting me.

  Thank you to my amazing readers who kept bugging me to write Gabe’s story—you know who you are, you crazy girls.

  Thank you to my husband. Always.

  Thank you to Elayne Morgan for being a kick ass editor (you bossy girl, wink wink) and helping give my words the polish they need to shine.

  Thank you to Shayne Rutherford for another gorgeous cover, and for being an awesome friend.

  Thank you to Nikki Quinn for ideas, nearly endless brainstorming, a very helpful beta read, the occasional pep talk, and for catching things like broken doors and sent text messages.

  About the Author

  Claire Kingsley writes smart, sexy romances. She’s in love with love, and finds inspiration in the stories of broken people who find love and healing together—with a generous dose of steam.

  She can’t imagine life without coffee, her Kindle, and the sexy heroes who inhabit her imagination. She’s living out her own happily ever after in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three kids.

  Join Alpha Ever After, my Facebook reader group. Come hang out with me!

  @clairekingsley1

  clairekingsleyauthor

  www.clairekingsleybooks.com

  claire@clairekingsleybooks.com